Miami general manager Jeff Ireland attended Penn State's game last year at Northwestern and left with one player stuck in his memory: defensive tackle Jared Odrick.

"When I was down on the field, I was thinking to myself -- I actually remember saying to myself -- 'That is a guy I can see [playing] for us.'"

On Thursday night, Ireland remembered that personal note, selecting Odrick (pictured with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell) in the first round of the NFL Draft. The Dolphins took Odrick, a defensive tackle, with the 28th pick, making him the seventh defensive linemen drafted in the first round.

"I wouldn't say that I was expecting to be a first-round draft pick, but I got invited [to New York], so that's something I was hoping for," Odrick said on a conference call. "I was hoping to be a first-night guy, and it turned out that way. I was happy about that."

The Dolphins made a value selection in Odrick, trading several picks (including their No. 12 pick) to San Diego for the No. 28 pick, a second-round selection and a linebacker. Ireland said the availability of Odrick at No. 28, plus the ability to get a second-round pick, were keys to the exchange.

Odrick, the 2009 Big Ten defensive player of the year, likely is in for a bit of a position switch with Miami. Odrick played strictly on the interior of Penn State's 4-3 alignment last year, but the Dolphins employ a 3-4 front, meaning Odrick likely will switch to end.

"We think he can play both inside and outside," Ireland said. "...I feel great about Jared. I feel fantastic about him. He really fits the kind of guy we are looking for."

Odrick, a Lebanon native who graduated last December, made a good first impression with the Miami media on Thursday. He generated a laugh by telling a story from the Senior Bowl, when he asked Miami coach Tony Sparano (who coached the South squad) what the first offensive play would be. He also politely pointed out that most people mispronounce his name (it's ODD-rick).

"My dad only learned how to say our last name right when he was 19, so I don't take too much offense to that," he said.

As for the position switch, Odrick said he's unconcerned.

"I want to get after the quarterback every play that it’s a pass," he said. "Sacks
don’t come every play, they come every so often. It makes you hungry to
go get one, and that’s why it’s such an exciting play. Defending the
run, that’s just being a man. That’s just hunkering down and getting
dirty.”

Odrick became Penn State's eighth first-round pick in the last seven years, the 33rd for head coach Joe Paterno and the 36th overall from Penn State. He is the 10th Penn State player to be drafted by Miami.